On Saturday morning, at 9 a.m. local time in Athens, it
all begins. When Australia and Nigeria take the floor at the Helliniko
Indoor Complex, 12 nations will embark upon their quest for gold in
the Women's Olympic Basketball competition.

As we have seen with the men's international game over
the past few years, nothing is guaranteed. But while the Olympic men's
hoops competition has never been more wide open, the women's game should
come down to a only a handful
of contending countries. The U.S. squad is seen as the favorite to
win it all, but with the increased experience and exposure of players
from Australia, Russia and Brazil, the Americans are by no means a lock
to bring home the gold.

When It Still Didn't Count

Elena Baranova, Russia

If the recent FIBA
Diamond Ball competition is any indication, the
Australians could be the United States' stiffest competition. Diamond
Ball is an invitational tournament organized by FIBA, a few weeks prior
to the Olympics and displaying the best teams of each continent. It serves
as the final warm up for 6 of the 12 teams that will participate in Olympic
Games in Athens. Australia outlasted the Chinese, 74-70 in the championship
match. Australia has several legit WNBA players, including the reigning
league MVP, forward Lauren
Jackson.

Despite losing in the finals of Diamond Ball tournament,
China had an impressive run, defeating Brazil and Nigeria in their opening
matches. With former (and future?) WNBA star Janeth
Arcain, Brazil is also a medal contender in Athens. The Brazilians
defeated Greece, the host nation, to finish a disappointing third
place in the tournament. Rounding out the places, Korea
beat Nigeria 89-78 for fifth place.

In what came as somewhat of a surprise to basketball experts,
the Russian
team announced their roster earlier this week, and veteran Minnesota Lynx
forward Svetlana
Abrosimova was not a member of the team. However, the defending European
champions have more than enough star power to pose a threat to the Americans
and Australians. The Russians are the only other country (as the U.S.S.R.
and Unified Team) to win a gold medal in women's basketball aside from
the United States. New York Liberty center Elena Baranova will captain
the Russian team in Athens

The Americans then travel to Salamanca, Spain to compete
in a tournament with Olympics-bound Spain, Poland and France. In the first
game, the U.S. topped
the French, 68-38. In the finals against Spain, the U.S.
topped the host nation, 77-61. U.S. Team captain Dawn Staley was also
chosen by the captains of all other American teams to carry
the American flag at the Opening Ceremonies on Fridau night.

Former Olympian and analyst Ann
Meyers is staying on the same boat as the American teams, the behemoth
Queen Mary II
in the harbor.

"The Russians have looked pretty good, I haven't seen
the Aussies yet, and Brazil's Janeth Arcain missed the last game at the
Diamond Bowl. China scrimmaged Greece yesterday and Greece won by 12?
China had just gotten in, so they were tired. USA still looks like the
favorite. Some people are calling THEM the "Dream Team" of Athens, not
the American men."

Number Crunching

In case you are one of those people who puts a lot of
stock in numbers and rankings, the final
FIBA World Rankings for women leading into the Olympic tournament
has the United States comfortably on top. On the strength of their European
Championships win, the Russians are No. 2. But Australia and Brazil are
right at their heels. Greece, the host nation, has the lowest ranking
of all 12 competitor nations, coming in at No. 36.